On November 3, 2008, three days after the Phillies World Series victory parade, Ruben Amaro, Jr. was named Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. His appointment marked an extraordinary personal trajectory that began in 1980 when at the age of 15, Ruben was the Phillies batboy. Born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia,… Read more »
Chuck Brodsky is a storyteller, a songwriter, a troubadour and a modern day baseball bard. Over the past 25 years, he has performed at festivals and concerts all over the world including the Baseball Hall of Fame where 22 of his songs have been enshrined. Born & raised in suburban Philadelphia, he attended The Haverford… Read more »
Bob Brooks was a multi-talented athlete who starred for Atlantic City High School in the late 1940’s in both basketball and baseball. In 1948 he led South Jersey in free throw shooting and was the second leading scorer and rebounder on a team that was the Group IV State Champion Runners-up. The starting pitcher for… Read more »
At age 12, when Allen G. Goldis won a home run hitting contest against Robin Roberts at Connie Mack Stadium in conjunction with the Junior Baseball Federation, he knew baseball would be in his future. He had a passion for sports and excelled at everything he tried. While at John Bartram High School, he not… Read more »
“Like mother, like daughter” is an adage that aptly describes Helen Josephs Goldstein and her daughter Estelle Goldstein, two outstanding athletes, sports pioneers and community leaders. Helen Goldstein had a passion for sports and would not be denied the joy of competition, but in the 1920s there were no leagues for her to compete in-or… Read more »
Mike Koplove, a right-handed sidearm relief pitcher for two major league baseball teams, was born in Philadelphia during the bi-centennial year of 1976. He grew up playing little league and American Legion baseball in South Philly and attended Chestnut Hill Academy where he was named a first team All City selection by the Philadelphia Daily… Read more »
Dr. William P. (Pete) Leaness grew up in West Philadelphia and is regarded as the Dean of American Collegiate Soccer Coaches. He compiled a record of 245 victories, 97 losses and 36 ties during his 41 year tenure as Temple University’s head soccer coach, which began in 1930 following his graduation from the Temple School… Read more »
At the age of six, Jesse Levis attended his first major league baseball game watching the Phillies play Henry Aaron and the Braves at Veterans Stadium. That day his dreams began to crystallize: he wanted to become a major league ballplayer. Levis grew up in Northeast Philadelphia playing Little League Baseball at Tarken playground. Tagging… Read more »
Contrary to popular belief, Sandy Koufax wasn’t the first dominant Jewish pitcher in baseball. That distinction belongs to Erskine Mayer, who made history nearly five decades earlier by becoming the first Jew to win 20 games and also pitch in a World Series, both of which he did twice. Mayer, whose father composed an opera… Read more »
Max Patkin, to millions of Americans, is known simply as the “Clown Prince of Baseball”. His appearance as an underfed scarecrow, with 185 pounds spread out over a 6’3″ frame and his rubber-like face dominated by his nose, give Patkin the natural funny appearance of a true clown, which he has used to entertain millions… Read more »
